


Maybe I'm Crazy

by Seira_g



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Inspired by a Movie, M/M, Mental Health Issues, unknown pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-15
Updated: 2012-09-22
Packaged: 2017-11-10 01:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seira_g/pseuds/Seira_g
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loosely based off the movie It's Kind of a Funny Story. Ryou, on the verge of suicide, checks himself into a mental hospital. Little does he know how the people there could impact him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

When you thought about it, there really weren’t that many reasons for standing on the edge of a bridge at three in the morning. In fact, the only one that came to my mind in that moment was the one that happened to be my reason for doing so.  My hair was blowing all around in the freezing winds of January,  yet I didn’t bother to sweep  it away. It was a unique feeling, and when you are in the last few moments of your life, you begin to notixe small, insignificant things such as that.

                The other thing that you notice is just how many thoughts are running through your head. Pure adrenaline courses through your veins, when you attempt to convince yourself- is it really worth it? Cold whips around you, but you don’t care. All that matters is the next few seconds, the one where you-

                _On second thought, I really can’t do this._

In some cases, this realization hits you like a ton of bricks. You snap back to the real world, noticing the freezing temperatures, your location, and even your bangs slapping against your forehead. You shiver, and move away from the edge, barely making it to the side of the road before you crumble, all those tears you thought you got rid of in your lifetime flowing out, hitting the pavement and instantly freezing.

                You stay like that for a while, feeling absolutely terrible as you realize just how _close_ you were to doing something  terrible, something you could never take back. Eventually, you raise to stand on shaky legs, and with your mind on autopilot, you walk. You really don’t care where you’re going. Anywhere but here is fine, really. You walk for several blocks, before it finally hits you where you need to be. You can’t return home, people would undoubtedly hear you return, and the resulting questions of where you had been would undoubtedly bring you to another breakdown. So finally, you make up your mind.

                _I need help, don’t I._

_Xxx_

The first thing that shocked me about the hospital was its sheer _size._ Sure, it was big enough from the outside, but the inside was little more than a huge maze, threatening to lose you somewhere inside. If I wasn’t with a doctor, leading me down the twisted halls, I would never have made it out.

                But there I was, sitting in the examination room the doctor had led me to. He made no attempts at small talk before getting down to the inevitable questions, maybe because he had even less of a desire to be there this late than I did. His tone was bored, maybe even a little snappish.

                “So your name is Ryou Bakura?” I nod my head. “What brings someone like you here at a time like this?”

                I was silent, choosing my words carefully before answering. “I wanted to kill myself tonight,” I finally answered. “I almost did it, too. I was standing on the edge of Domino Bridge, ready to jump. But I couldn’t do it. I-I figured if I came here, I could get some help.”

                There were a flurry of questions following my statement, but all I could really focus on was the truth, finally sinking in. I had really just tried to kill myself. Sure, it was something I had considered before, but I never thought that I would attempt it. The guilt and self-loathing running through me briefly made me want to run out screaming, head back to that bridge, and try again to end it all.

                A few more people were brought in for me to talk to, and it must have been a couple hours or so before they finally said the words I had been expecting, yet somewhat dreading.

                “We’re going to admit you to our psych ward.”

                                                                Xxx

                I was led down to the third floor of the hospital by a different doctor, who continued talking despite receiving no response. He showed me  all of the places where I would be spending at least the next few days of my life. At this point, I was so exhausted that I barely paid any attention, hoping that each stop we made would be the entrance to my new room, where I could attempt some sleep. Not that it came easily to me even at home.

                Finally, we approached a numbered door that was undoubtedly going to be my room. The doctor opened the door slowly, I assumed because I wasn’t the only one who would be staying there. Sure enough, in the early morning rays of light, I could see a sleeping figure in the bed on the far side of the window.

                “This,” the doctor said, gesturing toward the person, “Is Malik Ishtar. He’ll be your roommate. Now, breakfast is at eight, so you can sleep for a bit, but make sure you’re there.” I nodded, and I was left alone, save for my snoring roommate. I made my way to the bed,  and fell asleep almost the instant my head hit the pillow.

                                                                                                Xxx

                That night, I had a dream. It wasn’t unusual for me. Hardly a night went by where I didn’t see something as I slept. But tonight’s dream was almost terrifying, in a way. My family surrounded me on that bridge, begging and pleading for me to come back. Father was there, despite the fact that he was in Egypt. Even mother and Amane, who had been lost so long ago, were there. I don’t quite remember what they said, but I think I ignored them, jumping into the water, over a hundred feet below.

                I awoke drenched in a cold sewat, with an unfamiliar face looking over me.

                “So you’re the new kid, huh?” he said, his eyes moving over me a couple of times. “Damn it, they could have at least asked if I wanted a new roommate…”

                “You must be Malik, then,” I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Nice to meet you, too.” He nodded.

                “They must have told you who I was, then. Yeah, I’m Malik. Now, I would suggest getting out of bed, if you don’t want to miss breakfast.” I paused. It was rare for me to have an appetite this early in the morning, anyways- I usually made up for it later in the day.

                “I’ll be fine,” I finally said, curling back up in bed. “I had kind of a late night last night, so I really just want to sleep-“

                “Wow, you really are new here, aren’t you?” Malik snorted. “It’s not exactly optional. They’ll deduct points if you don’t show up and eat something.”

                “I don’t care,” I said into my pillow. “A couple points aren’t important.”

                “Damn, kid, did they explain anything to you?” Malik laughed. “You’ll be stuck in here forever, with that attitude. And take it from someone who knows- being in this hellhole for an extended amount of time? Not a good experience. So come on. Get up, and we can go eat something. If you’re lucky, I’ll even let you sit at my table.”

                “…Fine.” I sat up, and climbed out of bed. Malik led me to the cafeteria, pointing out people he knew, also on their way to breakfast. Then, when I assumed we were almost there, his eyes lit up, and he dragged me toward someone I assumed was his friend. Although, it was strange-  in appearance, the person wasn’t too different from me.

                “Bakura!” he called out. Even his name was the same? This was a bit creepy, but I could deal with it. “Good morning! Hey, look! We have a new guy!”

                “Fuck off, Malik,” the man grumbled, his voice low, with a hint of a British accent not too different from my own. “It’s too early in the morning to put up with your bullshit.” His gaze shifted over to me. “Oh, he wasn’t lying. There is a new kid.”

                Malik also looked at me. I stiffened, not used to this much attention. “Oh yeah,” he said, “I never did get your name.”

                “R-Ryou,” I said, unsure of why I was stuttering. “Ryou Bakura.” The man whose name was apparently Bakura as well looked at me strangely for a moment, but shrugged it off.

                “Bakura Sennen. And as you may or may not already know, this idiot is Malik Ishtar.”

                “Nice to meet both of you,” I said quickly, only wanting to get the spotlight off of myself. “Should we go, then?” Malik and Bakura looked at each other.

                “We probably should,” Bakura said. “The assholes who work here don’t like when we’re late. Take away points, and all that bullshit.” Malik nodded solemnly in agreement.

                And so we walked, toward the cafeteria. And as Malik and Bakura- the first two people I had met in this place, who seemed as though they could be friends of mine- bickered over something useless,  I let out a small sigh, as I realized just what I had gotten myself into.

 

 


	2. An Eventful Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryou's first day in the mental hospital gets off to an interesting start.

"Well, here we are." Malik gestured dramatically toward a table in the front of the cafeteria. Save for a few people eating silently and not looking up- presumably used to Malik's noise- the table was almost completely empty. I looked up to see Malik grinning expectantly. I managed a small smile.

"I guess I'll sit here, if that's alright." Malik rolled his eyes, the smile still not leaving his face.

"Well, I did bring you here, right? Go ahead; no one ever sits here anyways." Figuring that was as close to an invitation as I would get, I agreed and sat down. It only took a moment, however, for me to notice Malik, who was still looking at me.

"Um, is there something wrong?" Was there something on my face? Or had I said something wrong? Countless possibilities welled up in my mind for why he could be staring at me like this, none of which were positive.

"Were you going to get something to eat?" he asked. "'Course, I'll go with if you are." I almost let out a sigh of relief at his reasonable answer.

Despite the fact that I really wasn't in the mood to eat, I faked another smile and rose from my chair. "Yeah, sure. Let's go." He smiled again and started walking, leading me toward the short line of people waiting for food.

"I always get so hungry in the mornings," he said after a moment of silence. I smiled and nodded, mostly because I didn't know what else to do. He looked me over, narrowing his eyes.

"You know, you really don't say much, do you?" His blunt manner of stating the obvious made my face feel warm with embarrassment.

"I just don't have much to say, I guess." Reaching the front of the line, I grabbed a bowl, a small box of cereal, a spoon, and a carton of milk, putting it all on a green plastic tray. "Besides, I never really had anyone who would listen."

"Malik frowned. "Come on, everyone has something that they want to talk about. Besides, you'll be doing a lot of talking in here, so let's hope you find a topic." Malik's plate was piled with eggs, toast, and fresh fruit, along with a carton of orange juice. I made a mental note of the fact that he didn't take any meat- he was probably a vegetarian. I would ask him later, I decided.

But for that moment, he must have had as little to say as I did, because he was quiet for most of the walk back to the table. I took the chance to glance around the cafeteria. It was small, but there were few enough people that it wasn't too crowded. That was a good thing, considering how I panicked in large crowds. The majority of the people that were there looked to be around my age, probably ranging from their early teens to their early twenties. I assumed that there were different floors for adults and younger children, considering that the floor seemed mainly made up of teens such as me.

We were almost back to our table when Malik paused, noticing someone out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Bakura," he called out. "How long have you been behind us?"

"Since you left," Bakura grumbled, clearly annoyed at such an obvious question. Malik, however, didn't seem to pick up on it, showing no reaction whatsoever. We all took our seats, reaching the table with our food. As soon as I had started picking at my bowl of corn flakes, however, Bakura looked at me and spoke.

"So, new kid, what's your deal?" I glanced up.

"What do you mean?"

"Please." Bakura snorted. "You know exactly what I mean. What did you do to get yourself locked up in here? What did they decide was "wrong" with you?" Malik looked up at me as he shoveled food into his mouth, clearly wanting to know the answer as well.

I swallowed. I really wasn't used to getting so much attention, and talking about something like this was so nerve-wracking it made my stomach hurt.

"Um." I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, trying to find the right words to describe what had happened. "I…"

"Come on," Bakura interrupted. "Spit it out, kid." My face flushed, and my entire body felt hot.

"I, um, well…" my heart was pounding throughout my entire body. Everyone's eyes were on me, and it was so embarrassing, and I was so self conscious, and-

"Hey, Bakura, stop pressuring him. He doesn't have to talk if he doesn't want to…"

"Malik, please. He's a man, isn't he? He can at least tell me what happened to him."

Malik and Bakura continued to fight over me, and whether or not I needed to talk. Meanwhile, my face only grew warmer, and I started shaking. This was bad, if this kept up I would-

"Ryou, are you okay? Because you really don't have to-"

"No, come on, just tell me-"

"…I'm sorry." I stood up from my chair quickly. "I-I'll be right back." I tried running, but only made it a couple steps before falling to my knees and vomiting into my hand.

I hated talking to people for a long amount of time. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to it, but whenever someone tried to pressure me into saying something, I would panic, and this would happen. It was social anxiety, I had been told for years. But either way, I assumed it was the reason for my lack of friends. I wouldn't want to be with someone like me, either.

Malik stood up, eyes wide as he ran toward me.

"H-hey, are you alright? Um, did something happen?"

"…I'm sorry." I was still shaking uncontrollably, and I was rooted to the spot I was in. "I-I'm just like this, that's all." Everyone in our general vicinity was staring at us, and I felt like I might throw up all over again. "I'm so messed up, aren't I. I'm sorry. You didn't do anything, so don't worry."

"Hey…" Malik put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Come on, relax."

The longer I stayed there with Malik calming me down, the easier breathing became, and the less nauseous I felt. His hand on my shoulder felt nice. It was a comforting gesture I had rarely received in my lifetime.

"We're all messed up," Malik said quietly, so only I could hear it. "Why else would we be here, in this place?"

Bakura only stared at us from the table, his eyes cold and unforgiving.

Xxx


	3. That Interrogation Feeling

“So, you’re Ryou Bakura, yes?”

                I stared down at my hands, folded in my lap. Here I was, being forced to speak with yet another stranger. And after the incident this morning, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk, especially not to a doctor that probably already knew about it.

                “Yes.” For the first time since entering the office, I glanced up at the person in front of me. It was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, maybe early thirties. “Um, it’s nice to meet you.”

                She smiled. “Yes. And in case they didn’t tell you, I’m Dr. Arisato. You can call me Mia, though, if you want.” I shook my head to decline her offer almost straight away.

                “That’s alright. Dr. Arisato is fine.” A mild look of displeasure crossed her face, but she said nothing, still smiling.

                “Alright, so let’s get started. Let’s see…” she glanced down at her clipboard, up at me, and down again. “So, Ryou, it says you checked yourself in last night after a suicide attempt?” I clenched my fists so that my nails dug into my palms. Two minutes in, and she started with the difficult questions.

                “That’s right,” I said, avoiding eye contact at all costs. “But something stopped me from jumping, and I don’t know what.”

                “Mhm.” Dr. Arisato scribbled something in her notes. “So, Ryou, what made you decide to try and commit suicide?” I swallowed. It was a strange feeling having someone I had only just met asking me such personal questions. I couldn’t figure out how to respond right away. I shrugged.

                “Nothing, really. I guess I just didn’t want to live anymore. What’s the point, when I’m so unhappy all the time?”

                More scribbling. “So, there’s absolutely nothing that you consider to be worth living for?” I hated this. There were too many questions that were too hard to answer. The room was almost suffocating, with no colors but whites, greys, and browns. It was so hot, too. If there had been any windows, I would have opened them myself.

              “…I don’t know,” is what I finally decided to say. “I don’t have anything or anyone that I’m particularly attached to.”

                The doctor nodded. “It also says here that you live alone. Do you mind telling me what happened to the rest of your family?” Oh, god. This was one of the only things I had hoped to avoid in this session. To this day, talking about my family was about as comfortable as sticking needles up my fingernails.

                “My mother and sister… they…” I swallowed hard, trying not to let myself break down sobbing. “Um, they died when I was ten, in a car accident. And my father is always away on business, so…” I trailed off, unconsciously wiping at my eyes. It wasn’t fair, how they asked me these questions on my first day here. I understood that Dr. Arisato meant well, but she was digging through my mind, picking out my weaknesses and phrasing them as questions. All I wanted was to get out of that stifling room, curl up in bed, and forget everything that had happened.

                “Well, just so you know, we have contacted your father to tell him about this.” All of a sudden, the hot room felt like a freezer. My throat felt dry, and my face paled.

                It had been at least six months since I had received as much as a letter from my father, having ended our previous visit three days early after an argument. If he found out about this, about how weak I was, he would either grow angrier and more disappointed in me, or not care at all.

                I assumed the latter, based on past experience.

                “He’s… well… did he say anything?” I’m sure my voice sounded almost pitiful, but I couldn’t help it. This had the potential to be a bad experience, and the very idea of it terrified me. Dr. Arisato looked uncomfortable, only adding to my uneasiness.

                “He said he would be coming as soon as his work would allow it, but it may take some time. For right now, he’ll be sending the money required to keep you here.”

                “I see.” I bit my lower lip. I had assumed that I wouldn’t see him right away (if at all), so I wasn’t surprised. I guess I had just hoped that he would prove me wrong, for once.

                Too bad miracles never really happened in real life.

                Dr. Arisato and I talked for a while longer, but nothing very significant came up. I did have to explain that morning’s incident, but after all the digging that had already been done, as well as how numb I still felt from it, it practically seemed insignificant. Still, all I wanted was to leave that room. These places were supposed to help you, yet there I was, being interrogated about my personal life.

               When I left the office, I looked down at my wrist and winced. The skin was pink and raw, speckled with bits of red. I didn’t know how I hadn’t noticed it before, because it stung, even if it hadn’t bled all that much. I sighed to myself.

                _I did it again. Didn’t I promise not to do this to myself anymore?_

 _You tried to_ kill _yourself. You already broke that promise last night._

I felt like I was going to start crying. God, how pathetic could I possibly get? It was only my first day in this place, and I had already been driven to self harm AND have an anxiety attack. There was one thing that I could tell for sure at that moment- this was NOT going to be easy.

                                                                                                Xxx


	4. Revelations and Reactions

                By rthe time my appointment was over, it was already time for lunch. Although I wasn’t really ready to face Malik or Bakura, I knew that things would only get worse if I didn’t show up.

                It was only a matter of seconds after walking into the cafeteria that Malik noticed me, looking me straight in the eye as he did so. I turned away, embarrassed, but I could see him coming up to me anyways.

                “Ryou,” he called out, waving to me before ultimately catching up to the spot where I was standing.

                “Hey, Ryou.” He looked me over, then looked right back into my eyes. “Um, how are you doing? After… you know…” I winced. He really had gone straight to the point. I forced myself to smile.

                “Oh, I’m alright.” I laughed, in a way that may have seemed a bit too cheerful. “Don’t worry about me.” Malik raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off.

                “That’s good. Oh, and Ryou? About Bakura… um, don’t take what he said too personally, alright?” I paused.

                “What do you mean?”

               Malik looked uncomfortable, but he continued speaking anyways. “This morning… right before you… well, anyways. I know it’s probably hard, but don’t hold it against him, alright? He’s… well, he’s always been like that, since he came here. I’m not making excuses for him, but-“

                “It’s fine.” I shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’ve been treated worse by other people, anyways.”

                “Alright.” Malik sounded unsure, but seemed to let it go only a second later. “So, are you going to sit with us again? I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”

                I smiled again, this time with more sincerity. “I’ll be fine. Really, don’t worry about it.” Malik grinned in return.

                “Alright. Come over here, then.” I followed him over to the table we had been at earlier that morning. Bakura was already sitting there, staring at me with the same emotionless glare as before.

                “He came back.” It was almost impossible to figure out which emotions fell behind those words, but it seemed to me like a mixture of boredom and mild annoyance. “Maybe he’s more of a man than he let on this morning, after all.”

                Malik sighed. “Bakura, come on. Don’t be so hard on him.” I stared down at the table. So, they were going to fight over me again. I had to be stronger this time, if only to prove Bakura wrong.

                “I’ll say whatever I damn well please to the kid. You of all people should know that about me, Malik.”

                “Yes, but that doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole.”

                “What did you say?” Bakura’s voice, which had previously remained calm, turned to a low growl. He stared Malik directly in the eye, and slammed his fist on the table. “Say that again. I dare you.”

                Truth be told, I was terrified. The look in Bakura’s eyes at that moment was anything but normal. Yet somehow, Malik stayed calm, staring right back at Bakura.

                “You heard what I said. Lay off the kid, it’s his first day.”

                “That’s no fucking excuse!” It happened before I had a chance to figure out what was going on. Bakura grabbed Malik by his collar, standing up and pulling their faces within inches of each other. Malik’s eyes grew wide.

                “Bakura, come on, just calm down. I’ll stop talking, just stop-“

                “Shut up.”

                “Ba-“

                “I thought I told you to shut up!” Bakura, who was undoubtedly lost in his own rage by that point, lifted his free hand to smack Malik directly across the jaw.

                Malik stumbled backwards as Bakura suddenly let him go, his hand flying to his cheek as he winced. I stood up from my own-chair- I had been a bystander for far too long. And now, because of my shyness, my _weakness_ , Malik was suffering the consequences.

                “Malik, are you okay? Oh god, I’m sorry- here, I can go get you some ice, if you want.”

                Malik looked up at me and smiled. “It’s alright, I’m used to it. Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty tough.” He turned his attention away from me, and towards Bakura.

                “Are you happy now?” Bakura only stood there, eyes still full of anger, as Malik spoke up at him. “Or are you going to hit me again?”

                “Shut up.” Bakura turned to walk away. Before he did, he took one last look at Malik and I. “I don’t need either of you. I’m used to being alone. Tolerating this bullshit is a hobby, not a necessity.” With those words, Bakura left the cafeteria.

                I turned to look down at Malik, who was still gently rubbing at his injury. When he noticed me, he smiled sadly.

                “He does this sometimes. You get used to it, after a while.”

                “Why, though?” I whispered. “Why do you put up with that?” He shrugged.

                “In a place like this, you need allies. And Bakura really doesn’t talk to anyone else.” Malik sighed. “You know, he’s the type of guy that pushes people away. Not because he’s angry at them, but because he doesn’t know what else to do.”

                For a moment, I was speechless. “You really know a lot about him, don’t you?” Malik nodded.

                “Yeah. I guess it’s because the two of us have been here so long. It’s hard to get to know most people who come in here, because they leave so quickly. In a world like this, you have to have something constant to hold on to.”

                “Malik…” There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. How long had he been here? Why was he here? What about Bakura?

                Before I had a chance to say anything, however, Malik’s eyes gravitated toward my scratched up wrist. His eyes darted up to meet mine.

                “Ryou…” he breathed. “Um, are you sure you’re alright? Your wrist is-“

                “I’m fine,” I interrupted. “It doesn’t really hurt.”

                “Yeah, but you might want to cover it up anyways. They’ll have a field day if they found out you did this to yourself. They’ll keep you here even longer.” He paused. “And, you know, you should make sure it doesn’t get any worse.” I almost sighed with relief. I had expected him to question me, but all I had gotten were some words of advice. I smiled at him, pulling down on my sleeve.

                “Thanks.”

                “No problem.” There was a short silence, before my relief was shattered. “Um, do you do that often? Is that why you’re here?” Seeing my face turn bright red as I averted my eyes, he added, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I just-“

                “Yeah.” Malik stopped, and stared at me. “I mean, that’s not why I’m here, but I’ve done it before. I checked myself in.”

                Malik said nothing, only staring at me. I swallowed, anticipating his reaction. After all, I had never told anyone about it. Weren’t people who hurt themselves considered freaks?

                But Malik didn’t say a word. He rolled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt, and held out his left arm. He looked up at me and smiled sadly.

                “There are more on the rest of my body,” he said. I looked down at his arm to see what he meant, and gasped. There were scars of varying length running up and down his forearm. Most of them were small, but there were several on the inside of his wrist. Those were the worst of all. They had been drawn with little care for appearance, as they were jagged, thicker lines that were longer than the rest. It was obvious that they had been created in a moment of intense emotions, while the rest were calmer, more subtle.

                “Malik…”

                “I tried to kill myself for the first time when I was eleven. I almost succeeded, too. Apparently my brother found me passed out on the bathroom floor, bleeding to death. They told me that if he had found me any later, I wouldn’t have survived.”

                “Oh god…” I couldn’t think of anything to say, because anything that did cross my mind felt completely wrong. Here was a guy that I had just met only hours ago, telling me something so personal. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to say what got me in here. I wondered if it was one of those things that got easier as time went on.

                “Earlier you said that you were messed up,” Malik said, a faraway look in his eyes. “But I don’t know. What would that say about me?” He stared down at his cut-up arms.

                “They say I’ll probably be here for a really long time. You, you’ll probably stay for a week or two, have some sort of inspirational moment, and leave a thousand times better than you came in. I’ve seen it happen so many times, I can tell. And that’s a good thing, really. It means you’ll be able to move on with your life, forget all about this hellhole.” I noticed that there were tears building in Malik’s eyes, despite the smile that remained on his face.

                “I wonder why they bother keeping me alive, trying to help me. If I’m so ‘dangerous’ on my own, why bother wasting precious resources on me? I don’t want their damn pity; I never asked for it!” Malik’s voice steadily grew louder and louder, ending in a yell. I reached out my hand to wipe the tears off his face, but he slapped it away. I watched his face move from angry, to realization, to regret.

                “Damn it… Ryou, I… oh god, what the hell is wrong with me?”

                “Malik, it’s fine, I-“

                “Stop saying that!” Malik jerked his head up to stare me down. “If something bad happens, it’s not fine! If something is bothering you, do something about it! But I can’t accept it when people brush things off like that. It’s ridiculous.”

                I felt as though I had been slapped in the face. This side of Malik was one I had never even considered existed. Not in the man who had so cheerfully welcomed me earlier that morning.

                “…Fine.” I rose from my spot, shaking from some unknown emotion. “I know I’m weal. I know I’m pathetic, and can’t say anything right.”

                “Ryou, I-“

                “No, Malik, I get it.” I found myself scratching at my wrist again, but despite the pain, I really didn’t care. “It’s like you said this morning, right? Everyone here is messed up in some way or another. For example, I…” I started to walk away. “I can’t make anyone happy, no matter how hard I try. Not even myself.”

                And so I left the cafeteria, leaving a shocked Malik behind.

                                                                                                Xxx

                So, that’s what I have written up so far. I’m working on a chapter five right now though, so just wait a little longer. This story is getting fun to write, so I don’t see myself abandoning it again anytime soon.

                …Reviews? :3


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